Between the pleats Issey Miyake's iconic line of innovative garments. Issey Miyake's Pleats Please collections were first launched in 1993. Made from single pieces of high quality 100 per cent polyester fabric, Pleats Please clothing is innovative in its process: the clothes are first cut and sewn together nearly three times larger than the finished garments, then individual pieces are hand fed into a heat press sandwiched between two sheets of paper. From tube dresses to cardigans, skirts, roll-necks, or elastic-waisted pants: the garment emerge with permanent pleats. This industrial process allows both texture and form to be created at the same time. Vertical pleating is used to create varying effects and architectural shapes. Pleats Please clothes are very functional and practical; the garments store easily, travel well, require no ironing, can be machine-washed, and dry within an hour. Shapes are simple, colors diverse (a set of standard colors is available each season, plus seasonal colors and prints). The clothes' simple beauty, comfort, lightness, and ease of care have changed the way many women all over the world dress. For the first time, the story of this revolutionary clothing is told in a book. A wide array of texts and images explore the fundamental concept of Pleats Please Issey Miyake, tracing its journey from inception, through material development, to public reception, including the making of the original yarn - revealing the pleating process for the first time!

Renowned clothing designer Issey Miyake studied graphic design at the Tama Art University in Tokyo, graduating in 1964. In 1970, he founded the Miyake Design Studio in Tokyo. In the late '80s, he began to experiment with new methods of pleating that would allow both beauty and flexibility of movement for the wearer as well as ease of care and production. This eventually resulted in a new technique called garment pleating and in 1993, the Pleats Please line was launched. After turning over the design of both men's and women's collections to his designers, Miyake worked on the realization of 21_21 Design Sight that opened in 2007 in Tokyo. In 2010, Miyake presented a new and innovative line called "132 5 Issey Miyake". Born in Tokyo, Midori Kitamura is president of Miyake Design Studio. Starting in 1976, she worked under Issey Miyake on collections, exhibitions, and publications as attache de press. She also manages developments including creative direction of products such as perfumes and watches. Kitamura was Exhibition Director of "Bulls Eye Special 2008" at 21_21 Design Sight, together with Kazumi Oguro and Katsuhiko Hibino, and has been president of 21_21 Design Sight Inc. since 2009.